This is a well made film but despite everything, I felt a tad disappointed. I think some of it might be the inconsistencies in the characters and another is probably due to the low energy level in the film. In real life, the film's stars (Miriam Hopkins and Bette Davis) hated each other and getting these divas to work together was a major ordeal. I really wish that the energy from this volcanic relationship had somehow been translated to the screen. Instead, you have two characters who have reason to dislike each other (in particular, Davis's character really had every reason to want to kill Hopkins' character), but spent the movie quietly seething--so quietly that the only sparks came out near the end and even these were quite muted. Perhaps this very controlled manner was more realistic than a histrionic relationship but it certainly was a lot less fun to watch. And, as I said at the beginning of this review, the characters were inconsistent and not especially believable. Hopkins generally played a decent person in the first half of the movie when, out of the blue, she stabbed Bette (figuratively) in the back. Then, in a subtle way she spent the rest of the film undermining Bette until the end when she repents and shows some decency. It was like the character had a case of Multiple Personality Disorder ("Dissociative Identity Disorder" for all you psychotherapists out there). And Bette was very decent in the first half of the film, only to become bitter and cranky. I understood why the writer chose to do this with Bette--showing how a disappointment in love can change a person's personality radically. But how could they explain away Hopkins' strange and inconsistent actions? Despite all this, the direction and entire production was first-rate Warner Brothers entertainment. And when Warner pulled out all the stops, their films were amazing--even if a bit flawed as in the case with this film. A bit of a disappointment, yes, as I am a HUGE Bette Davis fan, but still well worth seeing even if sparks don't fly.
Review of The Old Maid
